Center plate construction



J1me 1967 A. J. CHRISTIAN CENTER PLATE CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 13, 1965 INVENTOR- A/VDREWJ. CHRIST/AN avg/ &2

ATT'Y.

United States Patent 3,326,611 CENTER PLATE CONSTRUCTION Andrew J. Christian, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Pullman Incorporated, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 513,283 3 Claims. (Cl. 308-437) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A center plate liner for disposition between the body bolster and truck center plate comprising an annular dish shaped construction having integrally formed outer peripheral and inner peripheral flanges which are constructed and arranged so as to preclude damage or failure of the body and truck center plates.

The present invention relates to center plate assemblies of the type used in railroad cars for mounting car bodies on the truck bolsters and more particularly to a new and improved wear liner for a center plate.

Current freight car operation is conducted at high rates of speed and for greater uninterrupted periods of service which has resulted in frequent break downs or a wearing of the center plate assemblies currently in service.

As is well known, the center plate assembly is disposed between the car body and the trucks allowing the trucks to turn under the car about a center pin or king bolt. The center plate assembly conventionally comprises a body center plate or male center plate attached to the underside of the body bolster. The other or truck center plate is attached to the top side of or cast integrally with the truck bolster. The body and truck center plates are provided with coaxial openings which receive the king bolt therein.

Under the conditions which railroad cars are operated, wear has occurred at the bearing surfaces between the truck and body center plate members. Moreover, breakage or fracture has occurred at both the body and the integrally cast truck bolster. Such failures of the center plate assembly have caused undue down time of the flat car while the center plate assembly is being repaired or replaced.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a center plate assembly which overcomes the difliculties encountered heretofore.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a center plate assembly with a wear liner which is readily replaceable so as to reduce the down time of the railroad car in the event of undue wearing of the center plate bearing surfaces.

It is another object of the invention to provide a wear liner for a center plate assembly which is constructed and arranged so as to retain a lubricant between the bearing surfaces of the body and truck bolsters.

It is still another object to provide a wear liner for a center plate assembly which is constructed and arranged so as to reduce the fracture of the center plate components.

Further objects and features will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a center plate assembly attached to a railroad car bolster and truck and showing the wear liner embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view through a center plate assembly embodying the wear liner of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of a center plate assembly.

The center plate assembly of the present invention is shown fixed to a body bolster 11 and a truck bolster 12.

3,326,611 Patented June 20, 1967 The center plate assembly comprises generally a body or male center plate 13, a female or truck center plate 14 and a wear liner 15 fixed to the truck center plate 14.

In the form shown the body center plate 13 may be formed as a generally rectangular unit which is either cast or forged and includes an annular ring 16 having a flat bearing face 17 spaced downwardly from the flat base 18. Integrally connecting the base 18 with the bearing face 17 are inner and outer side webs 19 and 21, respectively. The outer circumference 22 of the outer side web 19 is tapered outwardly with respect to a vertical or normal line taken through the center of a bottom radius connecting the outerside web to the bearing base 17. The inner side web 21 is formed on its outer side 23 as a reverse curve. The annular ring 16 is disposed concentrically about a center pin or king bolt opening 24 formed in the plate 13 and communicating with a coaxial opening (not shown) in the body bolster. As shown, the bearing face 17 may be formed with radially extending oil grooves 26, more fully to be explained hereinafter. The body center plate 13 is fastened to the body bolster 11 as by bolts 25 or other suitable means.

The truck center plate 14 is formed integrally on the upper horizontal web 27 of the truck bolster 12 which may be of substantially conventional construction. It is to be understood, however, that the center plate 14 may be formed as a separate component and fixed to the hori- 13. It is to be noted that the inner diameter defined by the inner peripheral side 31 is greater than the outer diameter of the sides 23 of the body center plate 13.

The sides merge at the bottom ends thereof by way of a radius or fillet 33 with a flat base 34 which in the embodiment shown is a portion of the top horizontal web of the truck 12.

Nestingly received within the rim 29 is the wear liner 15 of the present invention. The wear liner 15 is preferably a form from a manganese steel having 11 to 14% manganese with a hardness between BHN and 240 BHN. As shown in FIG. 3 the wear liner 15 is substantially annular and of U-shaped cross section defined by a base plate 36 of which the lower surface 37 rests on the flat surface 34 of the truck center plate 14. Extending upwardly from the flat base 36 is an outer flange 38, which terminates substantially at the level below that of the upper surface 41 of the rim 29. It is to be noted also that the outer flange 38 bears against and is inclined at the same taper angle as the inner face 31 of the rim 29. Moreover, the upstanding flange 38 is spaced from the outer wall 22 of the side 19 so that in the event of relative movement or play of the body center plate relative to the truck center plate, the terminal end 39 engages the side web 19 at a point below a fillet 40 at the side web and the base 18. This arrangement prevents the fracture of the body center plate at its weakest point in the event of the relative movement described above.

At the other side of the wear liner base 36 there is formed an inner upstanding flange or lip 42 which is of lesser height than the outer flange 38. The terminal end 43 of the inner flange 42 terminates at a point substantially in line with the change in curvature of the reversely curved inner wall 23. It is observed that the width of the wear liner 15 as defined by the distance between the inner and upper upstanding flanges 38 and 42 is greater than the width of the inner and outer side walls 22 and 23 of the body bolster 13. The space between the upstanding flange 38 and the side web 19 is utilized to insert lubricant which is utilized to lubricate the bearing surface 17 on the body bolster and the inner bearing surface 44 of the wear liner 38. To assist in the distribution of the lubricant, the bearing surface 17 of the truck bolster 13 may be provided with the oiling grooves 26. In the arrangement of the Wear liner disclosed, the upstanding flange 42 serves primarily to retain the oil between the truck center plate 17 bearing surface and the wear liner bearing surface 44 so that frequent lubrication is eliminated.

The wear liner 15 is fixed to the truck center plate 14 as by welding 45 disposed along the upper ends of the upper mating surfaces of the truck center plate inner side 31 and the liner upstanding flange 38. To facilitate the application of the weld 45 the inner side 31 may be chamfered as shown. Preferably, the weld 45 is applied along discontinuous arcs as shown in FIG. 3. However, it is to be understood that the weld may also he applied continuously.

What is claimed is:

1. In a center plate arrangement including a body center plate attached to the underside of a body bolster and a truck center plate formed integrally on the top side of a truck bolster, said body center plate including a base and an annular ring projecting downwardly from said base, said annular ring having a bearing surface spaced downwardly from and parallel to said base, inner and outer circumferential side walls connecting said bearing surface to said base, said outer circumferential side wall being selectively tapered, said inner circumferential wall being formed as a reverse curve, said truck center plate having a flat upper surface with an upwardly projecting circular rib concentrically disposed about said annular ring of said body bolster, said circular rib having an inner circumference greater than the circumference of said outer circumferential side wall of said body center plate to provide an annular space therebetween; the improvement comprising an annular wear liner concentric with said truck and body center plates and being of lesser thickness than said annular space, said wear liner having an annular bearing base disposed between said upper surface of said truck center plate and said bearing surface of said body center plate, an outer upstanding peripheral flange of substantially the same height as said circular rib formed integrally on said annular base and of lesser thickness than said annular space, said outer upstanding peripheral flange being tapered complementary to said outer circumferential Wall of said body center plate and nestingly engageable within said circular rib, means fixing said outer upstanding flange to said circular rib, and an upstanding inner peripheral flange formed integrally with said base and terminating at a level substantially in line with the change of curvature of said reversely curvel inner circumferential wall of said body center plate.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said wear liner is formed preferably from a manganese steel having 11 to 15% steel and a hardness between about 180 .BHN and 240 BHN.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said wear liner is fixed to said truck center plate by welding applied along the mating surfaces of said circular rib and said outer upstanding flange of said wear liner.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,725,042 8/1929 Zimmer 199 X 2,229,925 1/1941 Jackson 105-199 X 2,258,640 10/1941 Beckette 105199 X 2,318,427 5/1943 Shaffer 105--199 2,509,955 5/1950 Barnes 105-199 2,703,057 3/1955 Wintemberg 105-499 X 5 ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

H. BELTRAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A CENTER PLATE ARRANGEMENT INCLUDING A BODY CENTER PLATE ATTACHED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF A BODY BOLSTER AND A TRUCK CENTER PLATE FORMED INTEGRALLY ON THE TOP SIDE OF A TRUCK BOLSTER, SAID BODY CENTER PLATE INCLUDING A BASE AND AN ANNULAR RING PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID BASE, SAID ANNULAR RING HAVING A BEARING SURFACE SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM AND PARALLEL TO SAID BASE, INNER AND OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SIDE WALLS CONNECTING SAID BEARING SURFACE TO SAID BASE, SAID OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SIDE WALL BEING SELECTIVELY TAPERED, SAID INNER CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL BEING FORMED AS A REVERSE CURVE, SAID TRUCK CENTER PLATE HAVING A FLAT UPPER SURFACE WITH AN UPWARDLY PROJECTING CIRCULAR RIB CONCENTRICALLY DISPOSED ABOUT SAID ANNULAR RING OF SAID BODY BOLSTER, SAID CIRCULAR RIB HAVING AN INNER CIRCUMFERENCE GREATER THAN THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF SAID OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL SIDE WALL OF SAID BODY CENTER PLATE TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR SPACE THEREBETWEEN; THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AN ANNULAR WEAR LINER CONCENTRIC WITH SAID TRUCK AND BODY CENTER PLATES AND BEING OF LESSER THICKNESS THAN SAID ANNULAR SPACE, SAID WEAR LINER HAVING AN ANNULAR BEARING BASE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID UPPER SURFACE OF SAID TRUCK CENTER PLATE AND SAID BEARING SURFACE OF SAID BODY CENTER PLATE, AN OUTER UPSTANDING PERIPHERAL FLANGE OF SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME HEIGHT AS SAID CIRCULAR RIB FORMED INTEGRALLY ON SAID ANNULAR BASE AND OF LESSER THICKNESS THAN SAID ANNULAR SPACE, SAID OUTER UPSTANDING PERIPHERAL FLANGE BEING TAPERED COMPLEMENTARY TO SAID OUTER CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL OF SAID BODY CENTER PLATE AND NESTINGLY ENGAGEABLE WITHIN SAID CIRCULAR RIB, MEANS FIXING SAID OUTER UPSTANDING FLANGE TO SAID CIRCULAR RIB, AND AN UPSTANDING INNER PERIPHERAL FLANGE FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH SAID BASE AND TERMINATING AT A LEVEL SUBSTANTIALLY IN LINE WITH THE CHANGE OF CURVATURE OF SAID REVERSELY CURVED INNER CIRCUMFERENTIAL WALL OF SAID BODY CENTER PLATE. 